Chapter 460: Merit

Having achieved his goal and with a bright future in his Martial Dao cultivation, Cheng Feng was naturally in high spirits and threw a big party that night.

Cheng Feng's spear thrust like a dragon, shaking the heavens and earth, while the women each cried out to the heavens.

After finishing his normal training, he set down the beautiful leg he had been holding.

Cheng Feng explained his situation to the women.

"So, Master will be going out on a task for the Suppressing Governor's Office soon?"

"Correct. I don't know the specifics yet, so I'll go through the motions first. Although I'll be busy for a while, you must not neglect your Martial Dao."

Although the women were drenched in sweat, they still murmured, "Understood, Master."

The next day, Cheng Feng received his first task.

It wasn't one he had chosen himself; it was assigned to him by Chen Wenjing.

During the first month of an Apprentice Constable's probation, tasks are arranged uniformly by the office; picking and choosing or refusing is not allowed. That is the rule.

Chen Wenjing did not make things difficult for him, giving him a task of moderate importance—investigating a robbery that occurred on the upper reaches of the Qingshui River. A group of water bandits had hijacked a government grain transport ship, killed two of the boatmen, and made off with three hundred shi of grain.

The Suppressing Governor's Office offered a reward of twenty merit points, requiring the location of the water bandits' lair to be identified.

Twenty merit points was neither a lot nor a little.

For a newcomer like Cheng Feng, it was a standard, middle-of-the-road starting task; it was neither too dangerous nor completely lacking in value.

Cheng Feng spent two days having Hong Sect disciples run along both banks of the Qingshui River, asking local fishermen, the old ferrymen at the crossings, and the owners of tea stalls by the river one by one.

The advantage of having influence was evident; he didn't have to run around himself.

By the fourth day, an old man who had been fishing by the river for twenty years brought news: thirty li upstream, there was a stretch of river called Guikutan, where the current was swift and hidden reefs were dense. Usually, no one dared to go there, but recently, firelight could occasionally be seen at night.

That night, Cheng Feng stealthily made his way to Guikutan alone. He did not alert the enemy, but sat on the *Taiyang* boat for an hour to observe, confirming the number of water bandits, the number of boats, and the rotation schedule of the sentries, then drew a detailed topographical map on paper with a charcoal pencil.

Early the next morning, he handed the map and intelligence to the desk at the Suppressing Governor's Office.

Looking at the clearly marked map, Chen Wenjing rarely showed a look of satisfaction.

That afternoon, the office dispatched twenty strongmen and a team of government runners, who followed the map to Guikutan and launched a surprise attack just before dawn, wiping out the water bandits' lair in one fell swoop.

Eleven water bandits were killed, six were captured alive, and eight hundred taels of stolen silver and various grain supplies were seized.

Unfortunately, more than half of the three hundred shi of government grain had already been sold and could not be recovered.

However, this still counted as a fine achievement. Chen Wenjing signed off with a flourish, recording twenty merit points for Cheng Feng, along with a verbal commendation.

Holding the merit slip stamped with a red seal, Cheng Feng made a special trip to the Gongxunge.

The Gongxunge was in the Rear Courtyard of the Suppressing Governor's Office; it was a two-story wooden building that didn't look big from the outside, but had a world of its own inside.

The first floor was the merit exchange area, where a huge wooden board hung on the wall, densely packed with merit values for various rewards.

The second floor was where the cultivation manuals were kept; it was said to be guarded by specialists, and ordinary strongmen didn't even have the qualifications to go up.

Cheng Feng stood before the wooden board on the first floor, looking up for a long time.

The things he could exchange for with twenty merit points were pitifully few.

A Refined Iron long saber of decent quality cost fifty merit points, a bottle of high-quality golden sore medicine cost fifteen, and an introductory-level Neixi Tiaoli Famen cost one hundred.

As for the things he truly wanted—superior cultivation techniques that could allow him to break through the Organ Refining realm and step into the Gangqi Pass—the lines at the very top of the wooden board started at three or five thousand merit points, far exceeding his current capabilities.

After reading through it, Cheng Feng said nothing, just silently put away the merit slip and turned to walk out of the Gongxunge.

No rush. He told himself in his heart. Meals must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road must be walked one step at a time. He had only been in the office for three days and only had twenty merit points on hand; exchanging for things that cost thousands of points would be too attention-grabbing.

Taking out the head of Liehuo Fawang now would certainly allow him to soar to the heavens, but it would also push him to the forefront of the storm. A newcomer who had just joined the office, knowing nothing, and immediately beheading a rebel leader wanted by the Imperial Court for years—who would believe it if word got out?

And if they did believe it, how much trouble would it bring? The retaliation of the Red Lotus Sect, the covetousness of other factions, the jealousy of certain people in the office—he could not yet withstand these troubles.

First, honestly complete a few tasks, accumulate some seniority, and wait until he was familiar with this circle and had full preparations for the matter of the head and the bounty, then find a suitable opportunity to bring it out.

By then, everything would be logical, and no one would be able to find fault.

Over the next half month, Cheng Feng went on task after task, so busy he barely touched the ground. Tracking fugitives, escorting government silver, suppressing roving bandits, investigating cult activities in the countryside—he did everything, and he didn't pick any job.

He scrambled for the dangerous ones and took the initiative to handle the dirty and tiring work, to the point that even the most seasoned strongmen in the office felt this young newcomer was unbelievably diligent.

There was only one thing that made everyone feel strange: every time this young man made a move, he would win against the target by just a hair.

When dealing with petty thieves, he used Bone Refining techniques; when encountering tough opponents, he revealed the strength of the Organ Refining realm.

Occasionally, when someone asked about his background, he would always wave his hand with a smile, saying he came from a small place and only entered the office because of good luck.

As for his strange physique that was hard to injure with blades, other than Lao Zhou discovering it during the physical examination, he never revealed it in front of others again.

By the twelfth day, Cheng Feng had already accumulated sixty-five merit points.

His task record was also quite good—standard and steady, nothing particularly flashy, but every case was handled cleanly and efficiently, never dragging on.

In the office's files, he had changed from a "newcomer who didn't know the heights of the heavens or the depths of the earth" to a "steady, hardworking, and capable young strongman."

Cheng Feng was very satisfied with this evaluation.

Not dazzling enough, but solid enough. Just like building a wall, once the foundation is laid, the bricks above can be stacked high.

Seven days later, a task of moderate importance fell to Cheng Feng. Chen Wenjing called him to the Merit Hall and threw a file at him, his tone as casual as if he were talking about what to have for lunch.

"In Tongluo Lane, South City of Heimu Prefecture City, children from three households have gone missing in succession. The Prefect's Yamen investigated for half a month without finding anything, so the case was transferred to the office."

Chen Wenjing poured himself a cup of tea and slowly blew on the steam. "It's not a world-shaking case, but Tongluo Lane is inhabited by good citizens; with children missing, the neighbors are in a panic. You make a trip and see if you can find anything out."

Cheng Feng took the file, opened it, looked it over, and nodded. "When do I set off?"

"Now."